Moving and handling SINNA RAMONALEDI

Imagine that you are at the patient’s bedside (in the community or a hospital). The
bed does not have an adjustable height and there is a small bedside locker. You have
to bend to attend to the patient’s personal care needs. You stoop to pick up items off
of the ﬂoor (such as slippers) and toiletries from the lower shelves of the locker. In
the sluice room you stretch and tiptoe to get items from high shelves. When transferring the patient from the bed to the chair, you stoop, bend, twist and stretch, in
addition to adopting awkward and static standing postures. These repetitive poor
and complacent techniques for handling of patients and loads cause cumulative
stress on the back.